


Coffeeshop AU

by ravengal



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 03:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2717147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravengal/pseuds/ravengal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor develops a crush on a man he regularly sees in the cafe he studies in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffeeshop AU

It's like clockwork. Half an hour after Connor comes in for his evening fix so that he can read his law notes without falling asleep on his feet, the gorgeous bespectacled man walks in, orders a large black coffee, and sits down two tables away from him. 

Connor spends a lot of time watching him rather than reading his notes, but he does not mind the distraction. The man either does not mind it too or never notices him. After all, he's always with his iPad, either reading or typing away on it. The more he watches the man, the more thoughts Connor dedicates to him. He thinks about how soft the man's neat short hair must be. He imagines having to suck in a hasty shuddering breath should those warm brown eyes ever settle on his, holding his gaze and not wavering. He wonders about burying his nose into the crook of the man’s neck, memorising his scent. He also certainly spends many nights fantasising about those long elegant fingers of the man deftly removing his clothes, slowly coaxing him to highs, and soothing him during the lows. 

Connor knows he is nursing a crush on a man he has been quietly watching for close to a month. This is terribly _not_ Connor's style at all. With any other guy, he would have sauntered up to that table, and no doubt charmed his way into the man's pants by the first week. However, Connor just cannot work up the courage to approach the man. Each time he entertains the idea of going up to say hello and introduce himself, he keeps having this ridiculous fear of stammering, or saying something stupid, or worse, opening his mouth and only having innuendoes escaping his lips. He fears scaring the man away, and never seeing him again. 

Thus he keeps quiet, watches the man from his table, and gets some studying done in between. Like clockwork, the man leaves two hours after he comes in. Once he is out of sight, Connor drops his head to the table, hates himself for a few minutes, and then moves on. During the weekends, he wonders about the man and what he is doing. He does try not to think too much about how he stops surfing casual sex apps or going to bars to hook up after he sees the man at the cafe.

Soon finals week arrives. It is crazy tough, and he looks like shit. He even thinks about skipping his cafe routine, for fear of his crush seeing him this way. However, studying at home will drive him mad, and going to the library will just stress him out because of the intense silence and tension of everyone he imagines studying a lot harder than he is doing. So he goes in, and like clockwork, the man comes in, except more bundled up than before because of the cold weather. Unfortunately, Connor does not have much time to appreciate the fluffy scarf wrapped warmly around the man's neck, making him look even more cuddly than ever. He has to study. He cannot fail and be asked to leave Middleton Law School. No way.

Come Wednesday, the eve of his toughest paper, the routine he takes so much comfort gets broken. The man is nowhere in sight. Connor knows he _has_ to study, but he keeps watching the door with worried eyes, and jittery legs. A million scenarios run through his mind. Maybe he has to work late. Maybe he has a family dinner. Maybe he's out with friends. Maybehehasadateshit. Maybe he just does not feel like coffee tonight. Maybe he's slowly driving Connor very very crazy every second he's not in here.

He gets up, pacing a little by his table, which draws him the attention of the barista and a couple at the corner of the cafe. He grins at them manically and gestures to his notes, and they look away, as if understanding and letting him be. After his sixth glance at the door in as little as two minutes, he decides he needs a new drink, something stronger and more bitter. He's going to head to the corner to the grocery store to get a bottle. 

He runs right into the man as he opens the door. He does smell good. He looks even more gorgeous under the soft light of the street. He has pretty lips. 

Fuck.

"You're late." 

Shit, shit, shit.

"I know. I was making this."

Connor stares at the container in the man's hand, and blinks in confusion at it. He points at it, giving the man a confused tilt of his head. "This?"

"My mom's chicken soup recipe. She always makes it for me in finals week. I..I thought you could.. have some."

"How do you know it's finals week?"

"Isn't it... standard across the state? Also, you look.. You've been looking stressed, so I--"

"You've been watching me?"

A soft pink flush settles on the man's cheeks. "Whenever you are not watching me, yes. I... I know finals week is not the best time to approach you, but I thought I finally have an excuse to--"

The man kisses sweet, tantalisingly slow, and passionate when he finally responds to Connor grabbing him by his sweater and pressing their lips fiercely together. The kiss breaks when a grumpy old man really wants to go in to get some coffee right now, so Connor tugs the man back into the cafe, to his table. He can afford a short break to talk and drink the soup. To finally get to know his crush. 

When the examinations are finally over, Connor settles into a new routine with Oliver. He goes to Oliver's apartment every evening. They kiss at the door. They alternate between cooking dinner and buying takeout. They talk. They laugh. They kiss. They have amazing sex. They watch movies. They eat breakfast. They talk about the news. They leave notes for each other if one has to leave ridiculously early. They recommend music to each other. They kiss goodbye before they leave for their day. They text a lot through the day. The cafe becomes their weekend dating spot.

This new routine is still not quite Connor's style, but he now has Oliver and his love in his life. Connor will not have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 2 of Coliver Week 2014. Originally submitted on Tumblr.
> 
> The original submission on Tumblr had a few errors which I had edited and removed in this piece, but it did not go through a third party beta. Any mistakes that still exist will be all mine unfortunately.


End file.
